Premium EV bargain hunting? 2024’s best cut-price prestige electric buys

A mate bought a pre-loved Porsche Taycan RWD last week. Just over a year old. Only 5600km on the clock.

He secured it for $165,000, with another $6500 for stamp duty. Big deal, you may think. A brand new one can be driven away for about $184,000.

Ah. But have you heard Porsche doesn’t mind charging for a few extras? This one has been optioned with roughly $50,000 of extras. Crayon paint ($5000), body-coloured 21-inch Mission E Design wheels ($11,400), panoramic roof ($3370), Sports Chrono pack ($2360) and all-important longer-range Performance Battery Plus ($12,020).

We reckon the first owner’s taken a bath to the tune of around $70,000 on his Taycan. Not great after just 12 months. But fair play to the man…. in this spec the Taycan looks the absolute business. Well played, Sir.

So are there prestige EV bargains to be had now? Could you be tempted by an ex-demo or lightly pre-loved premium electric car once they’ve shed dollars from scarily high original sticker prices?

And are they faring worse than prestige combustion alternatives, which also have a reputation for tanking in value once driven out the showroom doors?

Let’s take a look at near-new luxury and exotic EVs in the classifieds, itching for new owners.

2022 BMW i7 xDrive60 – $205,000 (-$93,000)

Not easy shedding almost $100k in a year, but that’s the case for an ex-demo 4000km-old ’22 BMW i7 limo up for sale in Victoria.

Ignore the i7’s scary nose, you’ll be in the back enjoying a 31.3-inch 8K theatre screen that descends from the ceiling. And the chauffeur only needs worry about recharging every 625km.

For reference, the cheapest ex-demo petrol-powered 2022 BMW 740i is $179,000 plus on-roads. That’s down $90,000 from new, after travelling just 1600km.

Combustion or electric, these Bavarian limos’ values seem to fall off a cliff equally.

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S – $260,000 (-$78,500)

For when you really must hit 100km/h in 2.8 seconds – in near silence – only a turbo-less Taycan Turbo S will do. Porsche’s first stab at an EV is a monumental machine, and there are a number of barely-used ones up for grabs.

They start at just over $250,000 for pre-loved examples with around 10,000km showing, down from their original $338,500 price.

Depreciation looks worse for Porsche’s combustion equivalent, the unicorn-rare Panamera. A 2021 GTS is listed for $230,000, when three years ago it was $367,000. A $137,000 bath, after 44,000km and 2.5 years.

2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 sedan – $182,000 (-$145,000)

Holy hell, that’s a big drop. It’s not quite shedding half its original price, but it’s getting disturbingly close for this ballistic Benz.

There are two AMG EQS 53 sedans listed in the classifieds for $182,000, both Mercedes dealer certified, one showing 5500km, the other just 2000km. These are loaded luxe Benzes that crack 100km/h in 3.8 seconds and have a near-600km range.

How has Merc’s fabled petrol S-Class fared over the same time? A 2021 S580 L V8 can be had for $262,000 with 13,000km showing. That’s down from $329,900. A relatively palatable $67,900 fall.

2022 Audi RS e-tron GT – $142,500 (-$105,000)

Another six-figure tumble. There are a number of these rapid RS e-tron GTs up for under $160,000, all with around 3000 dealer demo kms on the clock. From a list price a few bucks away from a quarter-mil, there are monumental savings to be had on this, the most powerful production Audi ever.

Plenty of non-RS e-tron GTs on sale too, most with around 1000km showing. These start at $138,000 for MY23 versions, which looks cracking value for something so visually spectacular.

On the combustion front, Audi’s flagship petrol sedan, the S8 4.0-litre V8, can be had from $175,000 for a MY23 showing 7000km. That’s fallen a mighty $100,000 from its new list price. Ouch.

2022 BMW iX M60 – $167,000 (-$56,000)

There are almost 100 used, demo and near-new iX SUVs on sale, despite seemingly only being on sale for five minutes. Perhaps there’s only so long owners can abide that ‘challenging’ be-grilled snout?

Flagship iX M60s cost $222,900 new, but a 2022 example with 14,000km travelled is down to $167,000 – a fall already over $50k – before the haggling starts.

A similar-sized BMW X5 M Competition with thumping 4.4-litre petrol V8 costs $228,000 new, while a 2023 example showing 3500km is yours for $175,000 before on-roads. Decent tumble there, too.

Conclusion

Some eye-catching falls to be seen here.

Shedding around $100,000 in under two years shows there are luxo bargains to be had, if you are fortunate enough to have the means.

But the drop of around 30-40 per cent in value in just a couple of years is concerning for owners and manufacturers of these high-value EVs, especially as many are ex-demos with peanuts showing on the odometer.

When compared to their combustion equivalents, it’s clear the resale plunge isn’t too out of the ordinary: most cars costing deep into six figures when new are susceptible to hefty value drops in a short period.

But exactly how difficult are these nearly-new EVs to shift? We can only guess at how much extra buyers can haggle off their advertised price.

Which makes some on our list look highly tempting. Perhaps a cheeky lowball offer on a just-run-in Audi RS e-tron GT doesn’t look a bad idea at all.